Detained at mortuary: Family's anguish as Coptic Hospital detains kin's body

More than a month after Joyce Wangare Njiru died while receiving treatment for a heart condition, her family is still unable to lay her body to rest.

Instead of preparing for burial, the family from Mito Mbili in Cherangany, Trans Nzoia County, has been locked in a painful struggle to secure the release of her body from a Nairobi hospital over an unpaid Sh2 million medical bill.

Their ordeal has thrust back into the spotlight the contentious issue of hospitals detaining bodies over unpaid bills, despite a 2025 High Court ruling declaring the practice unlawful and fresh efforts by Parliament to outlaw it.

"We are unable to bury our kin because of the huge hospital bill. Her body is still lying in the mortuary.

Born in 1964, Ms Wangare had battled heart disease for the past decade after being diagnosed in 2016, a condition her family says exhausted them emotionally and financially.

She attended her routine monthly clinic at Coptic Hospital in Nairobi in April, but her health deteriorated in May, forcing her admission in June 2026.

Her condition worsened and she was later moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where she died on June 26, 2026. Her family says the cost of keeping her alive had become overwhelming long before her death.

"We have really struggled with her. She has been in and out of hospital for all those years. Every three months we spent almost Sh120,000 on treatment," said Mr Njue.